August 8, 2024 • 20 mins
Why do we need laws to ensure fair treatment for pregnant workers? What does it say about our workplace culture? Join us as we tackle these tough questions and more with Crystal Hundley, Director of Human Resources at ReEmployAbility. Crystal brings a wealth of knowledge in employee development and a unique perspective shaped by her experiences. In this episode, we explore the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and its importance in fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for expecting employees. She highlights the importance of perspective in building a positive workplace and identifies the key elements that often contribute to negative company cultures, such as poor communication and lack of trust.
Learn more about the PWFA and how it can benefit your company culture and expecting employees in our free webinar "Decoding the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA): Understanding Your Role in Supporting Your Pregnant Workforce," live on August 28, 2024 at 1 p.m. (EST).
Link to register for the webinar: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/56a1ce4e-408b-4d7a-b73e-389ac44e4a66@d3e0a90c-c12e-4b5c-af10-bc9a227580ec
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
perspective.
Perspective is spelled p e r s,p, e c t, I, v e perspective,
the 30 000 foot view perspectiveput on someone else's shoes.
Perspective can also refer tothe state of existing in space
(00:20):
or one's view of the worldperspective rea audio face, or
one's view of the worldPerspective.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
REA Audio Reemployability.
The Pregnant Workers FairnessAct, or PWFA, is a pivotal piece
of legislation that mandatesthat employers provide
reasonable accommodations topregnant workers.
It ensures that pregnantemployees are treated fairly in
the workplace by offeringmodified duty options as needed.
So it's great that the federalgovernment's mandated that
(00:48):
employers make arrangements forpregnant workers upon their
request.
It's fair and the right thingto do.
We're going to talk more aboutthe PWFA in an upcoming webinar
that I'll have more informationabout at the end of the episode.
Here's the thing, though.
When we were planning anddeveloping the webinar, I got to
thinking is it really somethingthe federal government feels
(01:08):
they need to mandate?
I mean, if an employer valuesthe work of a pregnant employee,
why would they not want toaccommodate them without having
to be told to do so?
It should be about creating thetype of culture in a workforce
that values employees, which, inturn, should spark loyalty from
those employees that allemployers crave.
That's why I invited CrystalHuntley, the Director of Human
(01:31):
Resources for Reemployability,to be a guest this week.
Crystal's built her career ondeveloping company culture, and
I wanted to get her perspectiveon some of the whys behind
building and maintaining goodcompany cultures Now, even if
you're not in the driver's seat.
In creating your company'sculture, crystal can give you
some tips on how to be a lightwithin your environment.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
A human resources director is a high-ranking
individual in an organizationwho is responsible for creating
and implementing human resourcespolicies and strategies.
They also manage therecruitment and hiring process,
conduct performance evaluationsand handle employee relations
and strategies.
They also manage therecruitment and hiring process,
conduct performance evaluationsand handle employee relations
and conflicts.
(02:13):
Additionally, a human resourcesdirector plays a crucial role
in ensuring compliance withlabor laws and regulations, and
they may also provide advice andsupport to senior management on
HR related matters.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
All right, tell us your background, Crystal.
How did you get to that leatherchair that you're sitting in
right now?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, so I started in HR, in employee development, so
training and learning anddevelopment was my background.
I dabbled in different types ofcurriculum, development, adult
learning, made my way over to HRthings such as benefits,
(02:47):
payroll, all of that.
And what I love about it isit's just all.
It's all dealing with thepeople, right?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, Well, you have a military background too.
I know that you did.
You worked in a number ofcivilian businesses, but but
wasn't your your real launchinto this in the military?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, so military adjacent right.
My husband was active dutyMarine and I was the supportive
spouse.
I did find my way which isdifficult a lot of times for
military spouses to findemployment and find career paths
but I did and I worked todevelop and develop leaders,
(03:32):
really through military groups,as well as the spouses or family
members and things such aspersonal and professional
development, which again reallyresonates with the entire HR
movement now, in taking care ofthe whole person, and that's
something I really enjoyed and Idid very well for about 10
(03:54):
years as a government employee.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And that was that you mentioned.
So that was with spouses andthat was with, like family,
members of active duty military.
So I would imagine somethinglike a whole person development
at that time was a little bitmore embraced by the family than
than maybe I guess.
I guess when I think aboutmilitary I don't think about
embracing the whole person right, at least not 10 years ago or
(04:17):
15 years ago.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I think they were ahead of their times because
they absolutely poured into theum, the into the whole person,
whether it was financial coursesthat they would make sure that
the service members had accessto, Maybe it was certain life
skills, relationship buildingclasses, and it really helped
(04:41):
create that total package thatyou would see from a service
member who really had a lot ofresources where they they knew
what they were and they knew howto use them.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
That's, that's good to hear, that's good to know.
I think sometimes the militarydoesn't always get the best, the
best press when it comes tohuman resource.
But but I know you've done.
You've done a lot of work atreemployability, in achieving a
very positive culture here anddoing the things and getting
people on board with.
You know what it is that we'retrying to do as a company,
because obviously how peoplereact internally is going to
reflect on how they reactexternally when they're talking
to injured workers, when they'retalking to clients, things
along those lines.
And I think you can tell whenthere's not a very awesome
environment within a workspace.
You know from a consumerstandpoint.
So in your experience, when youare trying to turn that corner
(05:41):
and make a employer morepositive, a more positive
working environment, like whatare, what are some of the things
that that you notice within anegative company culture that
makes you go, ah, we shouldchange that.
Oh, we could change that.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Yeah, there's so many things and I think you know you
can start off by the feeling inthe building, the feeling from
the employees.
Is there a sense of you know,poor or lack of communication?
Maybe there is lack of trust,maybe I just don't feel like
anyone supports me or nobody'slistening to me, and sometimes
(06:21):
it even is this everyone's in itfor themselves mindset, which
really is the opposite of thatpeople focused and people first
approach that lends itself to avery healthy and positive work
culture.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
So you know we're leading into the the Pregnant
Workers Fairness Act.
We have a webinar coming up ina couple of weeks which you're
going to be a part of.
Thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
But through the planning of that, you know, it
kind of hit me like it's kind ofsad that the government has to
say you have to accommodatesomeone who's pregnant, who asks
for it.
I mean, that's essentially whatthe act is saying, and so you
know why is it important foremployers to want to create that
positive culture internally.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah.
So I think sometimes, uh, wehave to remember that the, the
government, uh regulations,policies, laws, those are coming
from a place of maybe the theleast.
Um, that's the least amountthat I should do for my people,
right, that's the minimumrequirement.
Why would a company want to goabove that?
(07:31):
Why would we want to focus andpour into our people?
Well, a positive work culture isnot just a buzzword.
It really it's something thatyou know.
When an employee and reallywhen a person feels that their
concerns are listened to, thatthey are genuinely cared about,
it positively impacts theirtotal well-being.
(07:52):
And so, if I feel healthy and Ifeel satisfied and happy, I'm
likely going to come to work andhave people who are supporting
me and championing me, andthat's going to lend itself to
improved performance, increasedproductivity.
There's something very different, I think, about working with
(08:14):
people who come to work everyday and they dread being there,
they dread the work they do andthey dread who they're doing it
with, versus those who have themindset like I get to do this, I
get to do this job, I get to doit with the people I work with
and they just feel different,and you can sense that
(08:34):
throughout the entire companywhenever things are positive in
that culture and it's becauseemployers are putting their
employees first.
Employers are putting theiremployees first and, as you
mentioned, it's going to reapdividends on how clients are
taken care of, because if I'm adisgruntled employee, we're
(09:02):
probably going to have morecustomer complaints.
But if I feel like I've got agreat support system, I'm
probably going to feel reallyconfident and positive and
polished when I'm taking care ofour customers.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Of course.
So you carry yourself in a very, very positive way.
I mean like I think like thesky could be falling outside and
Crystal would walk by and belike hey how's it going, yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
The only thing that'll get me are um, snakes
and frogs right.
Things aren't happy when that'saround.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
That's for sure.
That's for sure.
Now, you know, we're all humanbeings and we all experience
human emotions and we all gothrough personal things that
happen, right?
What steps do you take to makethe choice to be positive?
When you're in the office,there's things that you have to
do because there's no way you'renaturally like that all the
time.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Yeah, I think that's a really good thing to think
about.
I have been at numerous jobswhere no kidding, the challenge
from a colleague or one of mydirect employees was yeah, we'll
see if you still have thathappy personality in 30 days or
in a year.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
There's a negative culture right there.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Call me out if you ever see that.
But I think what you mentionedis you have to make a choice.
Right, I have the same type oflife stuff happening as any of
our employees here.
Right, we've got family memberswith health things, we've got
the economy, we've got, you know, the flat tire on the car.
There's real life things thatare happening and what I have to
(10:35):
recognize is that in myposition and really any employee
who thinks like a leader, youare sending out that energy,
positive or negative.
You're sending that out toother people and it's absolutely
going to impact them.
So, making sure that the energyI'm sending out is uplifting,
(10:56):
it's positive, it is available.
I want to be available topeople as well, and I don't
think that you can ever reallyleave something at the door.
I think that's really that'sthe whole person mentality.
Again, I don't get to leavesome heavy things at the door.
Those things tend to follow usin our day if we're dealing with
(11:19):
, maybe, a family's health issue.
But it's about making sure thatwhen I'm in the office, when
I'm focused on the work, whenI'm focused on my colleagues,
I'm controlling what I cancontrol in that moment and that,
so many, so many times is justour attitude.
It's just the way we interactand engage.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
It's interesting that you said when someone's acting
like a leader, so just becauseyou're in a leadership role, or
if you're not in a leadershiprole which a lot of folks who
are listening might not be in aleadership role, but they find
themselves in a, in a either apositive or a negative work
environment, but they want toact like the leader.
What, what sort of things canpeople do to act like a leader,
(12:00):
even though they may notnecessarily have that title?
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Oh, my goodness, so I could.
We could do a whole otherpodcast on this.
I think leadership behaviorscome without the title, and I
think often you demonstrate yourleadership qualities before you
are ever promoted into thatrole.
So that's something really tokeep in mind.
Sometimes people want to waitto demonstrate those behaviors
until they're promoted.
(12:24):
Listen, leadership is being agood communicator, being
transparent.
Sometimes it's making toughdecisions.
It's being a great collaborator, but also voicing your opinions
, thoughts and concerns, buthearing other people too.
So these are all things thatanybody at any level can do, and
(12:46):
I think it's going to tie rightback into having a positive
work environment.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
So you know again, there may be folks that are
experiencing not necessarily thebest work environment and
they're not necessarily in thatposition to make any corporate
changes or even maybedepartmental changes.
But you know, to your point,you can control what you can
control on a daily and sometimesan hourly basis, right?
So is there any advice youcould give to somebody who wants
(13:14):
to act like that leader andwants to change their personal
space, their personalenvironment and those working
around them to make their workenvironment better?
And even if it's a good one,right, there's always room for
improvement.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Yeah, I think you know, if you find yourself in
the not like the not best workenvironment and I'll take it to
the extreme what if it's reallya toxic work environment?
It's really unhealthy, you know.
The most extreme thing youcould do is leave, and sometimes
the economy prevents that.
But sometimes our mental healthmight tell us we've got to tap
(13:48):
out.
If you don't feel like you havea voice or a trusted leader
that you can go to to share yourconcerns, that might be the way
to go.
Now, that's extreme.
Another option would really beto discuss with your current
supervisor or manager some ofthe feelings that you are having
, share with them your thoughts,maybe even offer a suggestion
(14:12):
that something as simple ashaving an anonymous, regular
employee survey so thatemployees can be transparent and
honest about what they'refeeling, can be transparent and
honest about what they'refeeling, and perhaps leadership
can make those small incrementalchanges that sometimes can
really make a lasting impactwhenever employees feel heard.
(14:34):
And back to what I already saidcontrolling what you can control
.
You have to.
This can be awfully toughbecause you have to think
looking inward is what I'm doing.
Am I contributing to a positivework environment through my
actions, my conversations, mybehaviors, or are those very
things contaminating it, right?
(14:54):
And so let's be honest.
Sometimes it feels a lot betterto commiserate with others
about how things are not perfectin the workplace, how the boss
just doesn't get it, or how thehigher ups are out of touch.
Sometimes it's much moredifficult, though, to take a
stance that you are going to bethe positivity that others might
(15:15):
need, and you never know ifthat little spark can ignite a
movement in your team that canbe felt company wide.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
I can tell you your team, thatcan be felt company-wide.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
I can tell you.
I've worked in multiple placesand never have I worked in a
perfect work environment.
Right, there's always going tobe things that are.
No place is perfect and I thinkonce we all can kind of embrace
and understand that.
You know, I think ultimatelymost people are really trying to
do the very best they can,regardless of you know, what
(15:45):
position they are at a company.
I think on the most part that'strue, and when everybody's
trying, you've got to give themsome credit for that.
I think you know leadership andthose folks that are following.
So kind of tying it all back towhat we're going to talk about
in the webinar in a couple weeks, and it really comes down to, I
(16:05):
think, what you mentioned islistening, right, Leadership,
listening to what an employee isrequesting, and the Pregnant
Workers Fairness Act reallycomes down to an employer doing
their very best to accommodate aworker who is in a situation
where they can't necessarily doexactly what they were hired to
(16:26):
do, but this employee is worthkeeping around.
And it's about having an openear and doing the very best you
can to accommodate.
And we're going to talk moreabout that and some of the legal
implications and how thegovernment is kind of looking at
this act a little bitdifferently than it does other
accommodations andnon-occupational injuries and
situations, and so we're goingto have an attorney on with us
(16:49):
to talk about that.
Crystal, you're going to bewith us and we have a client of
reemployability who's going totalk from an employer standpoint
about it as well.
So I'm looking forward toeverybody's different kind of
perspective and hopefully we cancome up with some actionable
steps that people can be veryaware of if they get approached
by an employee under this newPregnant Workers Fairness Act.
(17:13):
So, but I think this is a reallygood lead up to it, Crystal,
and I appreciate your time.
Any last parting words ofwisdom for anybody right now
that's like yeah, I get it,Crystal, but it's just so hard,
I'm so afraid to say something.
Or I've got such an awesomework environment I wouldn't know
what to do to improve it.
(17:33):
Where do you find people youknow stumbling, having hurdles?
What can you say to kind ofgive them a push forward?
Speaker 3 (17:41):
So I think, two different messages.
One to those in leadershiprecognize how important it is to
put your people first.
When you pour into professionaldevelopment for the leaders who
are taking care of youremployees, you will see
incredible results.
The second message would be forthe employees themselves, those
(18:04):
who feel like, man, I don'tknow where to start and really
I'm you know, I'm the bottomrung here.
How do I make a difference?
The reality is, you really can.
You can make a difference.
You can make a difference withthe colleague that you sit next
to.
You can make sure that they'rehaving a better day.
You can make sure that the teamyou work on feels that this is
(18:24):
a really positive place to cometo work.
So, while you might not be ableto impact the entire company
all at once, you absolutely canimpact in a positive way the
people who you engage with on aday-to-day basis.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Yeah, you never know how one little smile, one little
wave can impact and totallychange somebody's day.
And that impact it gets forwardand it's such a tremendous wave
to start, so no sense in nottrying right.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
All right, Crystal, go spread some joy.
Sorry to keep you.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
I sure will Take care , thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is a United States
law meant to eliminatediscrimination and ensure
workplace accommodations forworkers with known limitations
related to pregnancy, childbirthor a related medical condition.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
We'd love to have you participate in our webinar
Decoding the Pregnant WorkersFairness Act Understanding your
Role in Supporting the PregnantWorkforce, scheduled for
Wednesday, august 28th at 1 pmEastern.
It's scheduled for one hour andwill feature Crystal Hundley
(19:39):
from Reemployability.
Thank you, notes.
Thanks for listening to REAAudio.
Please make sure to follow uson Spotify or Apple Podcasts or
Stitcher or wherever you getyour podcasts.
We appreciate you.
Have a great rest of your week.
perspective.
Perspective is spelled p e r s,p, e c t, I, v e perspective,
the 30 000 foot view perspectiveput on someone else's shoes.
Perspective can also refer tothe state of existing in space
(00:20):
or one's view of the worldperspective rea audio face, or
one's view of the worldPerspective.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
REA Audio Reemployability.
The Pregnant Workers FairnessAct, or PWFA, is a pivotal piece
of legislation that mandatesthat employers provide
reasonable accommodations topregnant workers.
It ensures that pregnantemployees are treated fairly in
the workplace by offeringmodified duty options as needed.
So it's great that the federalgovernment's mandated that
(00:48):
employers make arrangements forpregnant workers upon their
request.
It's fair and the right thingto do.
We're going to talk more aboutthe PWFA in an upcoming webinar
that I'll have more informationabout at the end of the episode.
Here's the thing, though.
When we were planning anddeveloping the webinar, I got to
thinking is it really somethingthe federal government feels
(01:08):
they need to mandate?
I mean, if an employer valuesthe work of a pregnant employee,
why would they not want toaccommodate them without having
to be told to do so?
It should be about creating thetype of culture in a workforce
that values employees, which, inturn, should spark loyalty from
those employees that allemployers crave.
That's why I invited CrystalHuntley, the Director of Human
(01:31):
Resources for Reemployability,to be a guest this week.
Crystal's built her career ondeveloping company culture, and
I wanted to get her perspectiveon some of the whys behind
building and maintaining goodcompany cultures Now, even if
you're not in the driver's seat.
In creating your company'sculture, crystal can give you
some tips on how to be a lightwithin your environment.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
A human resources director is a high-ranking
individual in an organizationwho is responsible for creating
and implementing human resourcespolicies and strategies.
They also manage therecruitment and hiring process,
conduct performance evaluationsand handle employee relations
and strategies.
They also manage therecruitment and hiring process,
conduct performance evaluationsand handle employee relations
and conflicts.
(02:13):
Additionally, a human resourcesdirector plays a crucial role
in ensuring compliance withlabor laws and regulations, and
they may also provide advice andsupport to senior management on
HR related matters.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
All right, tell us your background, Crystal.
How did you get to that leatherchair that you're sitting in
right now?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, so I started in HR, in employee development, so
training and learning anddevelopment was my background.
I dabbled in different types ofcurriculum, development, adult
learning, made my way over to HRthings such as benefits,
(02:47):
payroll, all of that.
And what I love about it isit's just all.
It's all dealing with thepeople, right?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, Well, you have a military background too.
I know that you did.
You worked in a number ofcivilian businesses, but but
wasn't your your real launchinto this in the military?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, so military adjacent right.
My husband was active dutyMarine and I was the supportive
spouse.
I did find my way which isdifficult a lot of times for
military spouses to findemployment and find career paths
but I did and I worked todevelop and develop leaders,
(03:32):
really through military groups,as well as the spouses or family
members and things such aspersonal and professional
development, which again reallyresonates with the entire HR
movement now, in taking care ofthe whole person, and that's
something I really enjoyed and Idid very well for about 10
(03:54):
years as a government employee.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And that was that you mentioned.
So that was with spouses andthat was with, like family,
members of active duty military.
So I would imagine somethinglike a whole person development
at that time was a little bitmore embraced by the family than
than maybe I guess.
I guess when I think aboutmilitary I don't think about
embracing the whole person right, at least not 10 years ago or
(04:17):
15 years ago.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I think they were ahead of their times because
they absolutely poured into theum, the into the whole person,
whether it was financial coursesthat they would make sure that
the service members had accessto, Maybe it was certain life
skills, relationship buildingclasses, and it really helped
(04:41):
create that total package thatyou would see from a service
member who really had a lot ofresources where they they knew
what they were and they knew howto use them.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
That's, that's good to hear, that's good to know.
I think sometimes the militarydoesn't always get the best, the
best press when it comes tohuman resource.
But but I know you've done.
You've done a lot of work atreemployability, in achieving a
very positive culture here anddoing the things and getting
people on board with.
You know what it is that we'retrying to do as a company,
because obviously how peoplereact internally is going to
reflect on how they reactexternally when they're talking
to injured workers, when they'retalking to clients, things
along those lines.
And I think you can tell whenthere's not a very awesome
environment within a workspace.
You know from a consumerstandpoint.
So in your experience, when youare trying to turn that corner
(05:41):
and make a employer morepositive, a more positive
working environment, like whatare, what are some of the things
that that you notice within anegative company culture that
makes you go, ah, we shouldchange that.
Oh, we could change that.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Yeah, there's so many things and I think you know you
can start off by the feeling inthe building, the feeling from
the employees.
Is there a sense of you know,poor or lack of communication?
Maybe there is lack of trust,maybe I just don't feel like
anyone supports me or nobody'slistening to me, and sometimes
(06:21):
it even is this everyone's in itfor themselves mindset, which
really is the opposite of thatpeople focused and people first
approach that lends itself to avery healthy and positive work
culture.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
So you know we're leading into the the Pregnant
Workers Fairness Act.
We have a webinar coming up ina couple of weeks which you're
going to be a part of.
Thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
But through the planning of that, you know, it
kind of hit me like it's kind ofsad that the government has to
say you have to accommodatesomeone who's pregnant, who asks
for it.
I mean, that's essentially whatthe act is saying, and so you
know why is it important foremployers to want to create that
positive culture internally.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah.
So I think sometimes, uh, wehave to remember that the, the
government, uh regulations,policies, laws, those are coming
from a place of maybe the theleast.
Um, that's the least amountthat I should do for my people,
right, that's the minimumrequirement.
Why would a company want to goabove that?
(07:31):
Why would we want to focus andpour into our people?
Well, a positive work culture isnot just a buzzword.
It really it's something thatyou know.
When an employee and reallywhen a person feels that their
concerns are listened to, thatthey are genuinely cared about,
it positively impacts theirtotal well-being.
(07:52):
And so, if I feel healthy and Ifeel satisfied and happy, I'm
likely going to come to work andhave people who are supporting
me and championing me, andthat's going to lend itself to
improved performance, increasedproductivity.
There's something very different, I think, about working with
(08:14):
people who come to work everyday and they dread being there,
they dread the work they do andthey dread who they're doing it
with, versus those who have themindset like I get to do this, I
get to do this job, I get to doit with the people I work with
and they just feel different,and you can sense that
(08:34):
throughout the entire companywhenever things are positive in
that culture and it's becauseemployers are putting their
employees first.
Employers are putting theiremployees first and, as you
mentioned, it's going to reapdividends on how clients are
taken care of, because if I'm adisgruntled employee, we're
(09:02):
probably going to have morecustomer complaints.
But if I feel like I've got agreat support system, I'm
probably going to feel reallyconfident and positive and
polished when I'm taking care ofour customers.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Of course.
So you carry yourself in a very, very positive way.
I mean like I think like thesky could be falling outside and
Crystal would walk by and belike hey how's it going, yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
The only thing that'll get me are um, snakes
and frogs right.
Things aren't happy when that'saround.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
That's for sure.
That's for sure.
Now, you know, we're all humanbeings and we all experience
human emotions and we all gothrough personal things that
happen, right?
What steps do you take to makethe choice to be positive?
When you're in the office,there's things that you have to
do because there's no way you'renaturally like that all the
time.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Yeah, I think that's a really good thing to think
about.
I have been at numerous jobswhere no kidding, the challenge
from a colleague or one of mydirect employees was yeah, we'll
see if you still have thathappy personality in 30 days or
in a year.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
There's a negative culture right there.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Call me out if you ever see that.
But I think what you mentionedis you have to make a choice.
Right, I have the same type oflife stuff happening as any of
our employees here.
Right, we've got family memberswith health things, we've got
the economy, we've got, you know, the flat tire on the car.
There's real life things thatare happening and what I have to
(10:35):
recognize is that in myposition and really any employee
who thinks like a leader, youare sending out that energy,
positive or negative.
You're sending that out toother people and it's absolutely
going to impact them.
So, making sure that the energyI'm sending out is uplifting,
(10:56):
it's positive, it is available.
I want to be available topeople as well, and I don't
think that you can ever reallyleave something at the door.
I think that's really that'sthe whole person mentality.
Again, I don't get to leavesome heavy things at the door.
Those things tend to follow usin our day if we're dealing with
(11:19):
, maybe, a family's health issue.
But it's about making sure thatwhen I'm in the office, when
I'm focused on the work, whenI'm focused on my colleagues,
I'm controlling what I cancontrol in that moment and that,
so many, so many times is justour attitude.
It's just the way we interactand engage.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
It's interesting that you said when someone's acting
like a leader, so just becauseyou're in a leadership role, or
if you're not in a leadershiprole which a lot of folks who
are listening might not be in aleadership role, but they find
themselves in a, in a either apositive or a negative work
environment, but they want toact like the leader.
What, what sort of things canpeople do to act like a leader,
(12:00):
even though they may notnecessarily have that title?
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Oh, my goodness, so I could.
We could do a whole otherpodcast on this.
I think leadership behaviorscome without the title, and I
think often you demonstrate yourleadership qualities before you
are ever promoted into thatrole.
So that's something really tokeep in mind.
Sometimes people want to waitto demonstrate those behaviors
until they're promoted.
(12:24):
Listen, leadership is being agood communicator, being
transparent.
Sometimes it's making toughdecisions.
It's being a great collaborator, but also voicing your opinions
, thoughts and concerns, buthearing other people too.
So these are all things thatanybody at any level can do, and
(12:46):
I think it's going to tie rightback into having a positive
work environment.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
So you know again, there may be folks that are
experiencing not necessarily thebest work environment and
they're not necessarily in thatposition to make any corporate
changes or even maybedepartmental changes.
But you know, to your point,you can control what you can
control on a daily and sometimesan hourly basis, right?
So is there any advice youcould give to somebody who wants
(13:14):
to act like that leader andwants to change their personal
space, their personalenvironment and those working
around them to make their workenvironment better?
And even if it's a good one,right, there's always room for
improvement.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Yeah, I think you know, if you find yourself in
the not like the not best workenvironment and I'll take it to
the extreme what if it's reallya toxic work environment?
It's really unhealthy, you know.
The most extreme thing youcould do is leave, and sometimes
the economy prevents that.
But sometimes our mental healthmight tell us we've got to tap
(13:48):
out.
If you don't feel like you havea voice or a trusted leader
that you can go to to share yourconcerns, that might be the way
to go.
Now, that's extreme.
Another option would really beto discuss with your current
supervisor or manager some ofthe feelings that you are having
, share with them your thoughts,maybe even offer a suggestion
(14:12):
that something as simple ashaving an anonymous, regular
employee survey so thatemployees can be transparent and
honest about what they'refeeling, can be transparent and
honest about what they'refeeling, and perhaps leadership
can make those small incrementalchanges that sometimes can
really make a lasting impactwhenever employees feel heard.
(14:34):
And back to what I already saidcontrolling what you can control
.
You have to.
This can be awfully toughbecause you have to think
looking inward is what I'm doing.
Am I contributing to a positivework environment through my
actions, my conversations, mybehaviors, or are those very
things contaminating it, right?
(14:54):
And so let's be honest.
Sometimes it feels a lot betterto commiserate with others
about how things are not perfectin the workplace, how the boss
just doesn't get it, or how thehigher ups are out of touch.
Sometimes it's much moredifficult, though, to take a
stance that you are going to bethe positivity that others might
(15:15):
need, and you never know ifthat little spark can ignite a
movement in your team that canbe felt company wide.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
I can tell you your team, thatcan be felt company-wide.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
I can tell you.
I've worked in multiple placesand never have I worked in a
perfect work environment.
Right, there's always going tobe things that are.
No place is perfect and I thinkonce we all can kind of embrace
and understand that.
You know, I think ultimatelymost people are really trying to
do the very best they can,regardless of you know, what
(15:45):
position they are at a company.
I think on the most part that'strue, and when everybody's
trying, you've got to give themsome credit for that.
I think you know leadership andthose folks that are following.
So kind of tying it all back towhat we're going to talk about
in the webinar in a couple weeks, and it really comes down to, I
(16:05):
think, what you mentioned islistening, right, Leadership,
listening to what an employee isrequesting, and the Pregnant
Workers Fairness Act reallycomes down to an employer doing
their very best to accommodate aworker who is in a situation
where they can't necessarily doexactly what they were hired to
(16:26):
do, but this employee is worthkeeping around.
And it's about having an openear and doing the very best you
can to accommodate.
And we're going to talk moreabout that and some of the legal
implications and how thegovernment is kind of looking at
this act a little bitdifferently than it does other
accommodations andnon-occupational injuries and
situations, and so we're goingto have an attorney on with us
(16:49):
to talk about that.
Crystal, you're going to bewith us and we have a client of
reemployability who's going totalk from an employer standpoint
about it as well.
So I'm looking forward toeverybody's different kind of
perspective and hopefully we cancome up with some actionable
steps that people can be veryaware of if they get approached
by an employee under this newPregnant Workers Fairness Act.
(17:13):
So, but I think this is a reallygood lead up to it, Crystal,
and I appreciate your time.
Any last parting words ofwisdom for anybody right now
that's like yeah, I get it,Crystal, but it's just so hard,
I'm so afraid to say something.
Or I've got such an awesomework environment I wouldn't know
what to do to improve it.
(17:33):
Where do you find people youknow stumbling, having hurdles?
What can you say to kind ofgive them a push forward?
Speaker 3 (17:41):
So I think, two different messages.
One to those in leadershiprecognize how important it is to
put your people first.
When you pour into professionaldevelopment for the leaders who
are taking care of youremployees, you will see
incredible results.
The second message would be forthe employees themselves, those
(18:04):
who feel like, man, I don'tknow where to start and really
I'm you know, I'm the bottomrung here.
How do I make a difference?
The reality is, you really can.
You can make a difference.
You can make a difference withthe colleague that you sit next
to.
You can make sure that they'rehaving a better day.
You can make sure that the teamyou work on feels that this is
(18:24):
a really positive place to cometo work.
So, while you might not be ableto impact the entire company
all at once, you absolutely canimpact in a positive way the
people who you engage with on aday-to-day basis.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Yeah, you never know how one little smile, one little
wave can impact and totallychange somebody's day.
And that impact it gets forwardand it's such a tremendous wave
to start, so no sense in nottrying right.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
All right, Crystal, go spread some joy.
Sorry to keep you.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
I sure will Take care , thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is a United States
law meant to eliminatediscrimination and ensure
workplace accommodations forworkers with known limitations
related to pregnancy, childbirthor a related medical condition.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
We'd love to have you participate in our webinar
Decoding the Pregnant WorkersFairness Act Understanding your
Role in Supporting the PregnantWorkforce, scheduled for
Wednesday, august 28th at 1 pmEastern.
It's scheduled for one hour andwill feature Crystal Hundley
(19:39):
from Reemployability.
Thank you, notes.
Thanks for listening to REAAudio.
Please make sure to follow uson Spotify or Apple Podcasts or
Stitcher or wherever you getyour podcasts.
We appreciate you.
Have a great rest of your week.
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